Maqam of the week

Maqam of Ekeb

For Shabbat Ekeb, prayers are conducted in Maqam Sigah according to most Syrian
sources. Being that this is the maqam used for reading the Torah, it is applied
when we encounter a special reading; in this case "Vehaya Eem Shamoah" (second paragraph
of Keriat Shema). Also, it may be a coincidence that Sigah, a word that means 'third'
in Persian, is used for the third perasha of Sefer Debarim. As an aside, this Shabbat
marks the 25th year since the passing of Hazzan Gabriel A. Shrem A"H (1916-1986),
Cantor of Congregation Bnai Yosef and Editor-in-Chief of "Shir Ushbaha Hallel VeZimrah,"
our community's popular Red Pizmonim Book. The memory of Cantor Shrem A"H continues
to be the chief driving force and inspiration of all the efforts to preserve Syrian
liturgical heritage by the Sephardic Pizmonim Project. MISHMARA: Tractate Kil'ayim